Further On Up The Road – Mark Krajnak/JerseyStyle Photography

The names of just a few of the motels that dot the sides of Route 130, a near-85 mile strip of black ribbon that winds its way through Central New Jersey. Back in the day, Route 130 was a main thoroughfare. Then it got usurped a bit when the NJ Turnpike was opened in the early 1950s. Still, as it has remained heavily travelled bit of blacktop

These old motels are of the one level, often L-shaped, variety. The ones probably built in the 1950s or 1960s. But these can’t be be considered “vintage” or “retro”. Now they are just old.

And cheap.

The signage out front advertises Weekly Rates and Truckers Welcome. Some even boast Color TV and Free HBO.

They don’t have pools.

At one point in time, these places were a probably pretty comfortable place to rest. And single-level places like these allow one to keep an eye on their car (or rig or motorcycle) right from their room.

Not a bad option, especially if the vehicle holds all of your possessions.

See, these place seem now to be are more like halfway houses – halfway to nowhere. The transient, not really the traveler, finds more appeal in these places.

The Lake-Wood Court Motel is yet another of these such places. Located in South Brunswick, New Jersey, it’s a place I pass on my daily commute. The sign is certainly retro, but the structure itself just seemed sad. And lonely.

I had wanted to shoot it for awhile. So, back in April, I made the first of five visits there. Not sure when I noticed, but it seemed more and more empty. It didn’t say No Trespassing anywhere, so I just pulled up, parked and walked around the place.

Sure enough, it was empty. No more travelers or transients, after all this time.

I started to notice the bits and pieces of past activity.

The small American flag hanging behind one of the units. A birdfeeder that had fallen out of the ground and lay on the dirt.

Crushed beer cans. Cigarette boxes.

Behind the actual motel, an addition had been built, like an apartment. Not sure who lived there. The owner maybe?

There, a fly strip hung from the roof over the porch and sign on the door told Bill what number to call because all of the doors were locked.

I went back and shot more.

The shed. The bike. Twisted metal.

Then one day, as I was driving past….bulldozers were parked in front. The next day, the Lake-Wood Court Motel was halfway to a pile of rubble.

Three days later, it was fully gone.

I just made it. Caught last bits of sunshine that shone on the old place.

I couldn’t find out why it was knocked down. Nothing in the paper. Even contacted the local town historian, to no avail.

It wasn’t “vintage” or “retro” or even “antique”. The Lake-wood Court Motel was just old.

But for a lot of people, the traveler and the transient alike, it was place to put their feet one, at least for the night.

And maybe wonder about what was going to happen, further on up the road.

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Editor note: Mark also has this as a slide show/video with music by Slaid Cleeve on Vimeo here . The video is a must see.

Mark, an excellent sense-of-place essay. It has your noir touch that is a bit lighter due to the processing in this case but it really is evocative for the subject. I especially like images 6 (bicycle) and 7 (birdhouse) for their sense of loneliness and intimation of human presence without the explicit implications of what looks like fairly recently hand-written notes in some of the other images.

I have to admit this essay is going to stick with me a long time. I have seen a lot of this type of motel disappearing and they were such a major part of my younger days as we traveled back and forth across the country. It is a little like watching my youth go into memories of better and more vibrant days.

Nice essay Mark and I will echo what Ed had to say about the sense of loneliness and loss as well as the Noir touch. Thanks you so much for this and the words that go with the images.

JerseyStyle Photography says:June 4, 2011 at 1:58 am

First, thanks to the team at Rear Curtain for publishing this photoessay of mine. I’m honored.

Ed, Ray – I appreciate your comments – thanks. When I decided to shoot this, I always had in mind a sepia tone for these images. Just seemed like it fit the subject matter. And the sense of lonliness was pervasive as I shot these images. I went back about five times, the last being to get the shots of the “caution tape” and the rubble, all that is left of the Lake-Wood Court Motel now. It kind of gave me a natural end to the essay, though I really didn’t expect it when I started it. I’m just glad I got there in time, before it was gone.

Like Ray said, I think this one will stick with me for a long time too, especially since I still drive by this site every day. I’m just glad shot this when I did, glad I made a record of it.

This is a brilliant story + collection of images Mark. I get the sense of melancholy, the disappearing-days feel from it. Imagine the stories that these motels would be able to tell, if they had the ability to.

I have a fascination with old motels and I am totally digging this series
sidenote: i stayed in a semi-creepy old L-shaped motel in North Bay last summer, and found out the next morning that psychiatric hospital is like 2km away – talk about horror movie in the making 😛

I’m so glad you took the time to create such an evocative record of the Lake-wood Court Motel before it was reduced to rubble. This is a cautionary tale, in a way. Those things we pass by every day and take for granted may not be there forever. Your images and your words prove that you really saw this place, deeply. I love the mood of this piece.

Sign of time, all over the World, apparently. Old main routes got by-passed by modern motorways, causing entire towns to go to sleep, places that once were full of life. This is a very moody essay, it hits right on the highly sensitive, nostalgic strings we all carry. Excellent photography, and what an ironic timing. (Btw, the rhythm in the writing goes wonderful with the story and images).

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